Nearly Christmas it is ...!

Have you been struck by Star Wars fever this week?  We all went down with it in our house, as did many other people.  Not sure what the hype has been like in the UK but over here is has been completely over the top in the lead up to the release of the new film, The Force Awakens! 

Not surprisingly, merchandise is everywhere, but also every other advert on TV has somehow managed to shoehorn in a Star Wars reference and even the Arizona Department of Transport has jumped on the bandwagon, with a whole campaign of Star Wars themed road signs ...

and my personal favorite ...!

So after months of anticipation, we finally got to see Episode VII last night and I was a little concerned that after all the hype it would be a bit of an anti-climax.  I needn't have worried.  It exceeded ALL my expectations. It was AWESOME! (one of the few times that this often overused word is actually warranted!).  I will not comment further as don't want to spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but if you are a Star Wars fan you will not be disappointed. 

Being the month of both Christmas and my birthday, December has always been an exciting time for  me ... although as a child I was always miffed by the whole combined birthday & Christmas present thing (I'm sure anyone else with a December birthday can empathise!).  

"Could I have a bike for my birthday?" 

"Only if you have it for birthday and Christmas..." (whilst my brother and sister, having birthdays nicely spread out in March & October, were both riding around on theirs on their birthdays)

Consequently, dear readers, as I always went for the two presents option, I never did get a bike and is the reason why to this day, riding one remains a skill I never mastered (think the Friends episode with Phoebe! )  Oh, and if Mr B is reading this ... don't even think about it!  That boat has well and truly sailed.

This year though, December's excitement has reached an all time high.  Not only was it my first birthday in Arizona (well, actually it was in California ... more about that in a minute) and it will be our first Christmas in the United States, but best of all, Eldest arrives next week! *jumps up and down with excitement*  It will be the first time we have all seen him since we left the UK at the end of March and next Wednesday cannot come soon enough!

Back to the birthday ... during the summer, I wrote about the hotel Mystery Shop programme that Mr B is lucky enough to be able to participate in (you can read about that here).  Last weekend we went off to 'test' another one of those at the Hotel Del Coronado, on Coronado Island, in San Diego.  The Del is a historic Victorian building, built in 1888 (historic by American standards - I have a grandfather clock older than that, lol), right next to the ocean and I have always wanted to stay there.  Being able to stay when it was all decorated for Christmas (complete with ice rink!) AND on my birthday was a particular treat! 

Hotel Del Coronado

A little chilly for us ...!

Apparently, it was here in 1904 that America experienced the first electrically-lit outdoor Christmas tree which still stands proudly in the grounds today.

 

... although the sign next to it did make me smile ...

'Elf & Safety' gone mad!  *snort*

We found a couple of great restaurants while we were there, both of which I can highly recommend if you are ever visiting.  The first was Miguel's, a Mexican restaurant just opposite the hotel which our friend John had recommended we try.  We sat outside in a lovely little courtyard (under heaters I hasten to add!), all lit with hundreds of twinkly coloured lights and sparkly holiday decorations.  Delightful!

The second was a very small but quaint little French bistro called 'Chez Loma', which we happened upon down a little side street.  It was a converted Victorian house, with a small bar area downstairs and restaurant upstairs (in what I am guessing used to be one of the bedrooms!).  There were no more than 6 or 7 tables, but the service was outstanding and the food and wine was amazing.  A perfect birthday choice and we will definitely go back next time we are visiting. 

Cheers!

We spent my actual birthday visiting the dolphins, whales and sea lions at Sea World, which to be honest seemed to have lost a lot of its previous appeal but whilst the aquatic attractions themselves were less than spectacular, (I think the reindeer in the Christmas village seemed to draw the most attention) we nonetheless had a fun day and even found another 'Christmas flamingo'!

Having lived so close to Brighton in the UK, one of the things I really miss is being able to walk by the sea and breathe in the ocean, so a highlight of the weekend for me was being able to step out of our room right onto the beach and go for an early morning stroll (obviously leaving The Tween to fester in bed!).  Perfect! 

As I write, Mr B is off doing his Christmas shopping ... always a risk to let him out unsupervised ... and then tonight we are off to another holiday party, and then another at our next door neighbor's on Tuesday.  Phew!  At least now that the Tween has broken up from school for a couple of weeks I can looking forward to a few leisurely lie-ins ... bliss! That just leaves enough time for a flurry of last minute shopping, wrapping and baking before the main event ... and then this time next week it will all be over for another year! 

I hope you all have a wonderful time and you make it onto Santa's 'Nice' list!  

Merry Christmas from all at Barlow Towers!

TTFN

Bev x 

California Love .... !

So this week we had the opportunity to be 'mystery shoppers' at a couple of gorgeous hotels in the San Diego area (the joys of Mr B working in Travel!).   It was tough, but hey, somebody has to do it!

As California is a neighboring state, we decided to make the most of our new location in Arizona and skip the hustle and bustle of the airport (not to mention the expense) and take a leisurely drive instead.   It was an easy drive on long straight roads, and after a stop for lunch halfway, we were sitting with a cold beer by the ocean less than seven hours after we had left Scottsdale (and all for less than $50 in gas.  Bargain!).  The temperature was a good 30 degrees cooler than when we left at a very pleasant 75 deg fahrenheit, although with the high humidity it didn't really feel it if I'm honest!  Thank goodness for sea breezes!

We made a short pitstop after a couple of hours to stock up on water and Ethan bought a bag of fizzy Sour Apple gummy things covered in sugar (yuk) which he proceeded to open in the back of the car once we had resumed our journey.  

"Would you like me to open those for you?"

"Er ... no thanks ... I'm not three you know! ..."

It was patently obvious (to me anyway) what was going to happen next ... bag rips in two ... a gazillion green sticky chews plus half a pound of sugar deposited in tween's lap amid much huffing and moaning.  Great.  Who needs Encyclopedia's these days?  Just get a 13 year old ... they know it all ... apparently.  He was subsequently ordered not to move a muscle until we could fine a place to pull over and he could get out and brush it all off.  He also earned the nickname 'Sugar Pants' for the rest of the week (much to the amusement of Mr B and I :D)!

Our first destination was Del Mar and the hotel L'Auberge - a gorgeous hotel overlooking the ocean, with a 'beach cottage'  feel to it and the most friendly and attentive staff.  If you ever get the opportunity to stay there I would heartily recommend it.  

Del Mar itself is a beautiful spot and was by far my favourite.   It reminded me a little of summer holidays in Cornwall as a child, but with better weather!

Whilst we were there we decided to revisit the zoo, which had been a favorite on our last visit to San Diego some 5 years earlier.  We were not disappointed and it was just as good as we had remembered, if not better.  I think it has to be my favorite zoo of all time!  A lot of the animals however, whilst visible, seemed to be asleep or at best, extremely dozy, and Ethan decided that they must have all been partying after the zoo closed the previous night and were all hungover!  A lovely thought, which made me smile every time we arrived at an enclosure featuring a sleeping bear or a lazy koala!

LOL!

These two also looked like they had a rough night ...

After an extremely relaxing couple of days in Del Mar it was time to move on to La Jolla and the hotel, La Valencia.  

This one had a very different feel to the relaxed beachy atmosphere of L'Auberge and whilst still lovely, was much larger and less personal with a distinct Mediterranean flavor.  The decor included lots of dark wood and terra-cotta painted interiors which gave it a rather gloomy feel I thought.  Still, it was in a prime location overlooking the beautiful ocean once again and La Jolla cove, complete with it's resident seals and sea lions.

After a late lunch at George's At the Cove just a short walk away ... again, can highly recommend both the food and the spectacular view if you are visiting La Jolla ... we spent a lazy afternoon strolling along the bay followed by ... er ... more food and drink!  Speaking of which, Mr B also earned himself a new nickname this week.  Spawned from his seamless ability to hoover up any food left on a plate by either Ethan or I, and the straw hat he has taken to wearing to stop his head getting burnt, Ethan has now declared him to be .... The Great Gutsby! :D

The next morning we headed back into San Diego and the Old Town Trolley Tour.  I have to say, I do love a City Tour!  Whenever we visit a new city, we always try and incorporate one of the 'hop on hop off' bus tours if possible as not only is it is a great way to learn about the city (although on one of the 'hops' Ethan complained that the elderly Chinese lady that he ended up sitting next to spent the whole time talking very loudly in Chinese to her husband who for some reason was sat in the seat in front .. Lol)  but they also afford a great overview of the main points of interest and help identify the places to linger longer or to maybe go back and visit again another time.

All too soon our California Dreamin' was over and it was time to get back in the car and make our way back home.  Once again, we stopped for a break around half way in a town called Yuma, just over the Arizona border, at a great place that had been recommended to us by a friend (thanks Merylee!) called Penny's Diner.  I knew we were back in Arizona on account of my eyeballs burning in their sockets as we got out of the car. 

Whilst we were there,  an elderly local gentleman who I guess had heard our english accents, wandered over to our table and was keen to know where we were from, where we had been and where we were going.  He looked like he had walked straight off the set of an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, complete with dungarees, ill fitting baseball cap and no teeth!  On chatting to him and his wife however (who was wearing an equally ill fitting baseball cap emblazoned with the word 'JESUS' across the front ... which funnily enough is just what I thought...) they were actually really sweet.  She informed us that her husband was 93 and had been a pilot in WWII flying bombers for the US Air Force and training young recruits and after the war he had flown the planes back from their base in Florida to the 'graveyard' in Arizona.  He looked amazing for his age and despite having no teeth and a hearing aid, still had a full set of marbles and a glint in his eye!  I love chance encounters like that - you can meet such interesting people (you can also meet some complete fruit loops of which I have also had my fair share!) - and I could have happily spent the afternoon chatting to them both.  Sadly though, it was time to pile back into the car and some three hours later we arrived back in Scottsdale, relaxed and suitably cooled by the ocean breeze and ready to take on the heat of the desert once more.

Thought you might also like to see a couple more pictures taken by Mr B of some birds he spotted on our tour ... no not that kind ....

Hummingbird spotted in a garden at Old Town San Diego

A kingfisher snapped in the Aviary at the zoo - beautiful!

And finally, how could I not include one of his (many) sunset pictures ... just for you Adam Booth! TTFN and have a great week!

x